Norway to host donor conference for South Sudan

“South Sudan is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the armed conflict in the country. We cannot simply stand by and watch this happen. In response to a request from the UN, Norway will hold a conference in Oslo in May to mobilise resources for alleviating this serious crisis,” says Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

The situation in South Sudan is extremely serious. More than a million people have fled their homes. Almost 300 000 of them are refugees in neighbouring countries. Four million people are in need of food, and this figure will increase dramatically unless extensive emergency relief is made available. Only 30 % of the required humanitarian aid has been pledged so far. Norway has been engaged in what is now South Sudan for many decades.

“The international community must respond far more actively to this crisis. Money is needed, and it is needed now. This conference will be important for raising awareness of the situation, mobilising more resources to alleviate the crisis, and emphasising our shared responsibility to respond. So far, Norway has allocated NOK 100 million to South Sudan for humanitarian purposes. We will also restructure Norwegian aid in order to be better able to meet the humanitarian needs in South Sudan,” says Mr Brende.